The time gnats attacked me and my friends signed me up for online dating

Normally I don't bore you with the details of my weekend, but these past few days require a blog post.

On Friday I got off of work early and headed to the pool, where I swam and played kid's games like tea party underwater. Then I headed to my friend's house for an all-girls sleepover! We played all 16 or 18 rounds of Scattergories, where I put down some random and made up things...like tiger bass. Turns out there's no such thing as a tiger bass. Either way, we had a blast while drinking beer I had brought that was brewed in Chippewa Falls, WI. It tasted like a lemony-beer. Oh, and I won at Scattergories.

We also ate brownies and lugged a loveseat from her cute neighbor's apartment. At one point M had stepped outside to talk with her boytoy, leaving me and my friend, who recently broke up with her boyfriend. Of course you know where this is going--we had boytalk. I told her how the next boy I do date, I want to be Catholic, and actually go to church, and be a gentleman, and be able to hold a good conversation but not be too stuck up and also have a sense of humor, and oh, be college educated.

At some point during that long description of my next boyfriend, I let it slip about an online dating website that my friend from highschool emailed me about in April. Apparently she met her current boyfriend on there and they are still dating. At the time though, I didn't want anything to do with dating, much less online dating, so I promptly chucked that e-mail into my trash bin.

Fast forward to M coming back into the room, and whattya know--my friends signed me up for an online dating site specifically for Catholics. Yea, and this was at like 1:30 a.m. We had to fill out an obnoxiously long profile, complete with questions such as, "How often do you attend mass?" "How many children do you want?" "What forms of prayer do you like most" "Any favorite saints?"

Yea. I have to admit I was mildly entertained by this whole thing, and promptly said to M, that this deserved a blog post. Once we jumped through all the hoops, we finally got to my "matches." We went through about 12 pages and only sent an "emotigram" to three or four boys, all of whom are local and fit my criteria.

Since then, I've had several view my profile, and two boys have sent me "emotigrams," both of whom I didn't like during my initial screening.

I definitely have to say that while this is random--having your friends sign you up for an online dating site in the middle of the night--it fits my life. You can't make this stuff up.

Speaking of making stuff up, you also won't believe what happened to me yesterday.

Yesterday I argued with my mom all day about the money she owes me, but wouldn't give to me, unless I cleaned the house. So I did laundry, organized stuff, and basically sweat off a lot of calories. During said cleaning spree, my brother complained about a zit on his back. Of course my mom and I took a look, and it was definitely not a zit.

Queue my mother taking him to the Urgent Care place near our house, where they suspected it might be a black widow. Queue my mother calling me at home asking me to look for said spider. Queue me finding nothing. Queue my mother calling again to say that the Urgent Care place can't do anything for him--he has to go to the ER, and did they want an ambulance? Um no. Brother went to the ER with my parents where he got some IV filled with stuff to flush out the "venom," and a double dose of Valium for the pain.

Finally my brother gets home, and he's high as a kite on those drugs. He's not making any sense at all. It was really entertaining. Oh and they basically concluded that he has an "insect bite," but definitely not a black widow bite, although my brother is now telling all his friends on facebook that he almost died because he got bit by a brown recluse spider.

After all that craziness, fast forward to 11:30p.m. when I'm about to go to sleep for the night when I notice there's all these little black bugs on my ceiling. Of course I blame my mother for opening my window, and wake her up. She comes into my room and tells me they are just "gnats," and to "vacuum them up."

*So I was that crazy cat lady only with bugs, standing on my bed with the vacuum hose in one hand and the other hand on the ceiling for balance, sucking up all the bugs. At 11:30 at night. WHO DOES THIS??

Welcome to my life.


*So funny story, or not, but three years ago M and I were hosting a sleepover and before our friend came over, we had an invasion of these huge flies in our apartment. Naturally, I thought we should just vacuum them up, only that failed the next day when we realized that a) they were still alive and b) they were flying out of the hose.

Weekend Recap

I seriously don't think I've laughed nearly as much as I have this weekend. On Friday, after work I went to Costco to pick up this amazing cake that I've been craving for months.You see, literally about 4 months ago my uncle had a party and had Costco cake there and let's just say that I ate two pieces that night plus asked for a couple more to go. It was that good. So ever since, I've been craving it. Well, I picked it up on time, but I seriously forgot just how big everything is at Costco.

This cake is 152 oz and almost 10 pounds. Seriously, that's a lot of cake. It's white with vanilla cheesecake filling. So sugary, sweet, but delish.

After finally making it to the birthday girl's place, we raced to Best Buy. The plan was to see the movie Valentine's Day, but we just ran out of time, and we didn't look up times for the late show, and it turned out the birthday girl had already seen it, so we ditched that idea and got take out at Pei Wei for dinner. After eating, we had cake, and then settled in for the night. 

 

The present & dinner

M and I bought the bday girl Scattagories and she lovedddd it. And so it was fitting that we played oh, 12 rounds of it. I told stories and we laughed and drank and had a blast before doing a coloring activity where we had to draw a rosebush and then answer questions about it. (The bday girl is in grad school for counseling). We finally went to bed around 1 a.m. and slept like angels.

On Saturday we woke up and made crepes and watched My Girl and lounged on the couch for a long time. We finally decided to get outside and go run errands, with stops at Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. Then we took the bday girl to Red Robin for lunch and made sure to tell our server that it was her birthday (even if it was earlier this month) so that she would get sung to and free dessert. It was a success! 

After taking her dog to the dog park, we divvied up the leftover cake (there was no way I was taking 9 pounds of cake home--my mom would've killed me) we parted ways. I love my friends and our sleepover memories. It's the best!

 

There's a lot of cake left at this point

After making a pit stop at my uncle's to give him some cake, I came home and relaxed for awhile before I learned that my little cousins were coming over. Let me just say that I was tired, and in no mood to play babysitter, so I made plans with a friend to go to the mall, and to dinner. We ended up eating at C.B. Potts, where I ordered a mini quesadilla and side salad. I didn't get home till close to 10 p.m., and literally fell asleep about 10 minutes later. I was so tired.

Today I woke up early--like 8 a.m.--because I wanted to get a massage with the birthday girl, only by the time we got there, they were already at a 2 hour wait. That's what I get for being cheap and going to the massage clinic where I could get an hour massage for $12.50 a person. But we took it in stride, and went to Einstein's for breakfast and planned to get one next weekend, only this time we're going to get there right when it opens. 

After breakfast, I parked my lazy butt on the couch for a few hours and watched the ridiculous shows that are Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Leave it to Lamas, and Millionaire Matchmaker. I don't normally watch these shows, but they just seemed fitting of my mood to just space out and not think. I lost track of time, and before I knew it, it was time to help my mom make dinner. We made a pot pie with cauliflower, celery, carrots, chicken, and onion. It was good, and then I went to church, where a cute boy sat next to me. 

All in all, I'd say it was a great weekend. I actually got out of the house, laughed off all the calories I consumed, and spent quality time with the people that matter in my life. 

How was your weekend? I hope it was as fun as mine!

I feel the love, do you?

Can't every weekend be three days long? I definitely made the most of my long weekend.

On Friday after work I just relaxed and hung out with my family. Then I slept in on Saturday. I love love love sleeping in. It's the best thing. After breakfast, I hung out with family and talked with friends. Then I went to the outdoor mall with my brother and got some exercise. Later that night I was invited to an anti-valentine's day party. I'm glad that I went because it was so much fun to a) get out of the house and b) to laugh and enjoy people's company. We had girl talk, a homemade dinner complete with lasagna, spinach salad and cheesecake for dessert, and we watched He's Just Not That Into You. It was definitely fun. Not to mention that a girl at the party offered to look over my cover letter. Turns out she's in communications too! So I'm excited about that potential networking opportunity!

On Sunday I slept in again and had really bizarre dreams. Then I talked with friends, hung out with family, and went to church. I even received a valentine from a college friend. I realized that while Valentine's Day might be a huge thing to some, to me, it was just a day to spend it with the people I actually like being around. I don't think I've ever had this perspective before, but I hope to keep it for many more v-days. Later that night, as a family, we watched the premiere of the Amazing Race and Undercover Boss. I had never seen Undercover Boss before but I'm not sure if I liked it enough to watch it again. This week's episode followed the CEO of Hooters. I couldn't believe he said that he'd let his girls work at Hooters someday. But I guess to each their own, right? After all that TV watching, I watched pair figure skating while I painted my nails. I really had this urge to paint them dark blue, but I didn't have any dark colors. Apparently I like pink. A lot.

I also was lucky enough to have yesterday off and I would say I definitely made the most of it. I slept till 11, grabbed Qdoba for lunch (I had a buy one, get one free coupon), and lounged around the house. I was originally supposed to have lunch with my cousin but a last minute death in the family caused us to reschedule. My 'lil brother and I played Twister in which I learned that I just can't bend the way that I used to. We took the dog for a walk, and then I made him a deal. I told him I would take him bowling if we walked there and back. I google mapped it, and it was only a mile each way. Plus, after being lazy all weekend, I really wanted to get in my steps. He obviously agreed, and we made it there alive.

Let me just tell you that we both suck at bowling. Like, I have no form whatsoever. I just try not get gutter balls. I think our first game we had a score of like 130 combined. I also thought it would be hilarious to put in secret joke names as our titles on the scoreboard when my brother wasn't looking. Yes, I am like 9. We have this insider joke that started one day when I was probably talking to the dog. But needless to say, now I always say to my brother, "Love your face!" whenever I'm leaving the house, and he thought it would be funny to say to me, "Love your butt!" Yeah, we're reallllly mature, can't you tell?

Anyways, the funniest part about bowling yesterday was our nicknames. Oh, and of course, this old guy helping us out. He saw my brother throwing the ball wrong, and was explaining to him how to do it correctly. Apparently he had gotten like 7 strikes that day. And yes, he was in a league. But at one point he looked at the screen and said, I couldn't call ya'll that! It was really funny and only mildly embarrassing. And my brother's technique (if you can call it that) improved. We only played two games, which took us an hour, but the manager did give us a bunch of buy one game, get one game free coupons. Guess we'll just have to go back.

On the way back home we laughed and chased each other and ate an apple. It was good times, and I got in a bunch of steps, like 10,000+. Yeah, it was awesome. I felt so accomplished. We ate dinner and then I had the urge to go buy blue nail polish at Ulta. I didn't really want to pay $8.50 for the OPI color I wanted, so I went with a $1 glittery polish by N.Y.C., and this dark blue insta-dry color by Sally Hansen. I'm excited to paint them dark for once. And I joked to my dad that this is my way of acting out--by not having my normal pink nails, but instead a very dark and moody color. He thought it was funny and called me goth.


All in all, it was a great weekend. How was yours?

I remember...

This weekend was exactly what I needed. On Friday, I was in the worst mood ever, which I would like to blame on my hormones. I was upset because I had gotten to work early specifically so I could help my practically disabled coworker into the office, only she didn't show up until like 9 a.m. I had waited half an hour for her to call, and didn't even eat my instant oatmeal because I was waiting on her. And, by the time she did call, my coworker who normally helps her, was already here. I was so frustrated that I basically wasted my time by coming in early, and I was grouchy because I didn't eat. I was so angry the entire morning that I made myself go to church on my lunch hour so I could calm down because I was afraid my anger would ruin my soul. Church did help, and crying. Don't ask me why I cried. I don't even know, but it felt good. Thankfully by the time I went to bed that night, I wasn't angry anymore.

On Saturday I drove up to Lyons, where I went on a women's retreat with M and our friend Theresa. I don't go to the church who sponsors it--I just go to their annual retreat. This was my second year going. Last year all I did was cry because a lot of changes were going on in my life--my roomie and I weren't living together anymore and my dad had just left for China. Anyways, Saturday went by really fast. I read a book, went for a mini hike up the mountain with M and others to a chapel, played in the snow, watched a couple of men ice fish, and went hot tubbing. It was definitely a good night but at that point, I felt like the weekend was going by too fast, and the retreat was too short. We stayed up late talking and laughing.

Sunday morning came way too fast. I was so tired. But after breakfast, we all rested for almost an hour and that helped. We did a silent meditation and read some prayers. Then we did a drumming circle. Yes, like with actual drums from like Africa and stuff. It was so much fun. I felt like a kid again. And, it's really cathartic. Like, if you have any stress at all, all that banging with your hands can take it out of you. I loved it. After those activities, I felt like my spiritual and emotional meter was full again. It was awesome. We left after lunch because I had to get back in time for a superbowl party. And of course as we're leaving, it started to snow, just like it did on the last retreat I went on. But it was pretty, and I made it safely down the mountain.

When I got home, I rushed to change out of my sweats and into jeans and looked up directions, and then hit the road again. As I was driving, I had flashbacks of a year ago. I definitely didn't have many readers back then, so let me give you a quick recap.

Last year I went to the same superbowl party, after crying all weekend at the retreat. Only, I had way too much to drink. I lost count of the cranberry vodkas I made myself because I was talking with a girl named Jessica, who later introduced me to a book club. I did eat, but I didn't drink nearly enough water, and by the time I had stopped drinking, everyone was leaving and the game was over. So, knowing I was buzzed, I left, because I didn't want to admit that I had drank too much. I figured since everyone else was leaving, I should too. So I put on my sober face and got in my car. I remember calling a friend of mine that lived in Jersey at the time, telling him I had drank too much and that I didn't know how to get home. (It was dark, and I was having trouble seeing my GPS). I remember him telling me I shouldn't drive, to go back into my friend's house.

But of course I didn't listen. I told him I would be fine and started my car. I drove out of her neighborhood, and was turning left, when I ran into the curb. I told myself to be more careful and thought nothing of it. (Later it turned out that I lost my hub cap) I squinted in the dark, driving, listening to my GPS tell me where to go. At one point, I was on a two-lane road that was very dark. I remember that all the cars behind me were going so fast and that I couldn't drive that fast. I think I was going like 30, because I was too paranoid that I'd get pulled over. Finally, I couldn't do it anymore. I had no idea where I was, because I was surrounded by trees. I called my brother who was in college at the time in Oklahoma, and told him that I drank too much and that I was lost and that I didn't know what to do and that he should definitely NOT tell mom. I cried. He told me to take deep breathes and said that I shouldn't drive and that he was calling mom. I was so mad. I didn't want to be in trouble.

While I waited for my mom to call, I decided to keep driving. Finally I made it into civilization. The first store I saw was a Walgreens. I made it safely into the parking lot and told my mom I was there. While I waited for her to pick me up, I went inside because I had to pee like no other. I remember asking the girl at the cash register where the bathrooms were and her asking me if I was okay. Turns out my entire face was all red from drinking and my mascara had smeared in the midst of my crying jag earlier. After doing my business, I went to my car. My mom showed up and told me to get into the car. She was angry but I thought it was funny, so I laughed. Then I got in the car. (Apparently she then went into the store and told the lady at the register that I was drunk and asked if it would be okay to leave my car there overnight, but I have no recollection of that happening) My little brother asked me if I was drunk and of course I said no. But he didn't believe me. Oh, and my mom told me I reeked of alcohol. Nice one, Wonderful.

We made it home safely, I changed out of my jeans, drank some water, and then threw up in the middle of the night. I was so hungover the next day, it wasn't even funny. But my mom never gave me the lecture I thought she would. She simply told me that she loved me and was glad that I didn't drive. I definitely learned my lesson.

So, this year driving on the same road as last year, I could actually tell where I was for one. For another, I realized how far I have come in a year. This year I talked the whole time to Jessica and other people at the party, and I ate my weight in cupcakes, but I only had one beer. I drove home sober. I didn't get lost. I am proud of myself.

All I can say is, what a difference a year makes.

Weekend Recap

Friday- Took the new drugs for my head cold. Learned that Sudafed makes me jittery and insecure. I was invited to Brinner aka breakfast for dinner at a friend's house. I proceeded to freak out about going there alone, and was dramatically indecisive. I told my mom this, to which she replied, "this is how meth makes people feel." Um, okay. Guess I'll stay away from meth too. I didn't end up going. Instead I hung around the house and then went to bed early. I was super tired anyways.

Saturday- Slept in, hid out from my family aka I didn't go to my uncle's birthday party. I just didn't feel like it. Now that I think of it, I really didn't leave the house much that day either. I spent most of the day in bed, reading. And then I moved to the couch and watched Project Runway. But finally I did go for a drive around the neighborhood, and then actually showered and did my hair and makeup and actually looked presentable because my good friend Jen and her husband were in town. I took them to the Cherry Cricket, where we had rounds of beer and yummy food. It was definitely a good night. And in true Wonderful style, I got lost on the way taking them back to their hotel. But I didn't use my GPS either, so maybe that's where I went wrong.

Sunday- Woke up surprisingly early, and bought breakfast from Atlanta Bread Company for the fam. I totally had a dream about Jay, the winner from last week's Project Runway challenge. In my dream, he was my hairstylist, and he cut my hair and we talked like we were bffs. Yeah, it was strange.

After breakfast, I drove to Lafayette to check out a place that was listed on craigslist. Basically, the rent was super cheap, the people seemed nice, and I had already blown the girl off the day before, so I went. And, well, the room was definitely small. Like the girl now has a twin bed in there and a small dresser. But my bed is a full, and i have a huge dresser. I'm pretty sure there's no way I could get it to fit, even though I did send her the measurements and she thinks it will work out. Besides that, I realized I have alot of stuff. And their lease ends July 31, so I'm not sure if it's worth it to move now and then have to move again in a few months. So I left confused, but by the end of the day I realized that it's just not the right fit.

So in a random mood, I posted an ad on craigslist looking for my own apartment or condo. And so far I've gotten like two legitimate responses. Everyone else has been a male (not gonna work), looking for a roommate (Um, I said 1 BEDROOM), or they want me to "check out my credit score." (No thanks.)

The search continues....

How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

For once in my life, I actually got MLK day off. Needless to say I was excited about having a long weekend.

Friday- I didn't have any plans. I figured I'd just be 90 and go home and read a book or something. But I ended up having a nice evening out with my mom. We had dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery, followed by the movie Leap Year. The movie was predictable but cute. Not something that was amazing, but still nice to see.

Saturday- I slept in till like almost 10. It was beyond amazing. I <3 sleep. Seriously. I stayed in bed for a few more hours and finished reading The Tiara Club by Beverly Brandt. It was cute. Finally at around noon, I got out of bed and made myself some lunch and watched Project Runway. I had no idea a new season has already started! I had the house to myself for a bit, which was awesome. After Project Runway, I watched Kendra on the E! channel. I had never seen her show before, but it was the episode where she has her baby. I don't know if I'd watch it again, but it was at least something to watch. Shortly afterward, my dad stole the tv from me via Slingbox, so I had no choice but to get off the couch and actually do something. I took the dog for a walk and then came home and played Wii.

Sunday- I slept in, went to Costco, attended church, hung out the family, and thought about going out but never did because my friends had gone out the night before. Then I started to feel sick with a runny nose. Not fun at all.

Monday- The dog woke me up at like 6:45am. It was torture, but I got up and then applied for a couple of jobs. Yay for productivity. Then went out to breakfast with my family, where my mom lectured me on how I need to keep my room clean and how she wants me to help her clean the closets out. To which I said, no and no. I mean, who really wants to spend their day CLEANING? Not me. So, I conveniently took the dog to the muddy dog park for awhile, then headed downtown to have lunch with M at Pete's Greek Kitchen.

After lunch I drove over to Waterworks to get my car washed. I was so out of it, that I accidentally tossed my keys in the trunk. It was only mildly embarrassing, but it was worth it. My car is actually clean now (minus the trunk where I tossed everything). I didn't want to home home and help my mom clean closets, so I ended up going over to my friend's house for awhile. We took her dog for a walk and caught up. Around 5ish, I decided I should face my mom, so I drove home. I had forgotten that my mom was watching my lil cousin Ben, so that was nice. His new word is "nope." He says it in response to pretty much everything. After a few hours, I left and went over to Kristen's where I had pasta for dinner and caught up with her.

We basically agreed that we aren't going to live together. We feel like two weeks isn't alot of time to find a place and move. Not to mention that her apartment complex offered her a 1 bedroom at a lower price, which means it'll be easier for her to move. I feel okay with this decision because I know things happen for a reason. I still haven't heard back from the job interview I had last week. The interview itself went well, but it apparently only pays $10-$12/hr, which is a joke to me. Why work there when I make more at my current job? So I pretty much have decided I will turn it down. I'm supposed to hear from them this week.

As for me, I'm feeling sick right now. My nose is similar to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and I'm sick of blowing. I took some Zyrtec last night and am going to keep taking it to see if that helps. I also forgot to use my flex spending account to buy all this stuff, which sucks but I'm going to try and be more aware of it next time.

Besides feeling sick, I am so tired today. It was like death going back to work. Not to mention that we're on deadline so things are like not at all calm. I seriously bought myself a White Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks an hour ago so I could stay awake, because I'm that tired. I can't wait to go home, skip dinner, turn off the ringer on my phone, and pass out.

How was your weekend?

TGIF

For some reason, this week seemed reallllly long for me. Maybe because I had Monday off. Or maybe because we had snow on Wednesday night. Or because I had spiritual direction and then an alumni event last night. Why, I'm still not sure. But I really am lacking in the quality of sleep department and would like to get that fixed ASAP.

Weekend plans include catching up with M, spending time with my family, seeing an old friend from high school, running my first 5k tomorrow, and going to a white elephant party. Which reminds me of the white elephant gift exchange I went to last weekend with some of the people I met on the young adult retreat I went on. My original present that I picked, turned out to be this:

I mean who wouldn't want this book? Clearly I want a good husband--STAT. But sadly, another girl at the party stole it from me so she could get lucky...you know, with a good husband. So, I was faced with opening the last present on the table or stealing someone's. I chose the latter and came away with bamboo chopsticks, a set of Korean tea cups, and this little gem:

I'm not certain what I'm bringing to tomorrow's white elephant party, but I bet I will come away with something interesting. It seems like all the things I think are ugly or useless ends up being like the best thing ever. Like for the party last weekend, I gave away a stuffed snowman, a pair of strawberry/hello kitty earrings, and a coin purse sock. But the girl who got it, LOVED it. So I guess it really is true what they say: someone's junk is another man's treasure.

Have a good weekend kids!

TGIF

Whew, we made it through the work week. Thank God. Seriously, this week lasted forever! Today I slept in, came into work late, and have a Christmas lunch to attend in 20 minutes. See, since my office consists of only 5 people (the rest were all laid off this year), instead of a party, we get a special lunch. Whatever. I like anything free. We're going to this cafe nearby that I haven't eaten at for like two years because I'm too poor.

After the lunch, I intend to do a little work here and there to make the time pass. And then most likely I'll leave work 15 minutes early, and go home and sleep spend time with my family. Other than that, I don't have any real concrete plans for the weekend. I might go to some church thing with M tomorrow, and most likely attend church on Sunday, and sleep a lot. Oh, right, and buy all the Christmas gifts that I'm already supposed to have wrapped.


Do you have all your shopping done?

p.s. I came home last night to a real tree. That's about as tall as I am because my dad cut off too much. It was 6 feet tall and now it's like 5 feet. Classic.

Weekend Recap

I love the mountains. Like forever.

This weekend I went on a young adults retreat in Allenspark, CO, where there was no cell phone reception, lots of hiking trails, and really cold wind. I met alot of awesome people whom I hope to keep in touch with, but most of all, I got away for the weekend.

Do you have any idea how nice it feels to get away? To literally not have to check Twitter, and Facebook, and e-mail, and return phone calls? It.was.heaven. I got away from my family, and just had time for me. Kinda of how Katie was talking about how she needs "me time."

I am officially back into the "real world," but I feel different. I feel refreshed. I feel happy. I swear I haven't laughed as hard as I did this weekend, nor as much, since college. It was awesome. Not to mention that it began to snow yesterday. And instead of freaking out about the snow and complaining about how much I hate to drive in it, I literally sat by the fire in a really comfy old chair, and stared out the window. I watched it fall on the trees, and it was so serene. It was so peaceful.

And then I drove in it without fear, and took a newly acquired friend from the retreat to the mall, where it was insane. Like, people ALL over the place. It makes me glad I don't have to buy anything from the mall. But I digress. M and I took this new found friend around the mall, so he could buy Broncos apparel. Then we dropped him off at his other newly acquired friend's house where we ended up having wine, cheese, pumpkin mousse, and pizza. And we played cards, and laughed some more. It was definitely a surreal weekend, but one I needed. One I am happy to have had, and one I hope to remember.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

Let's get to it.


Friday- After making last minute plans, I left work and came home. I cooked grilled chicken and noodles for my family. I felt all domestic, and I liked it. I miss cooking. My brat of a 9-year-old brother hated my chicken, but all he needed was bbq sauce to dip it in and then he was satisfied. After cooking and actually cleaning the pans and putting them away (my mom was happy), I threw together an overnight bag, and headed over to my friend's house for a girls sleepover! Yayy! After getting there by 8, we went to Old Navy where I scored a new pair of jeans, and my friend bought some sweaters and a pair of jeans too. Then we went to the store, where we bought Christmas cookie cutters, construction paper, staples, and breakfast items.

When we got back to the house, we played the most fabulous Christmas mix cd ever (compliments of M), while cutting, stapling and making paper chains. This year we made one featuring Christmas colors--red and green--and another featuring an off white color, light blue, dark blue, and a gray. We did that for quite awhile, and did a great job. Both chains were the length of my friend's place and then some. While M and my friend hung the paper chains around the apartment, I started rolling out the sugar cookie dough, and used the different cookie cutter shapes. It was fun. By 3 a.m., we the entire apartment sufficiently smelling like cookies and paper chains abounded. Then we crashed and went to sleep.


Saturday- We woke up and made waffles with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream (with a touch of amaretto) and watched an old season of America's Top Model. Then we all parted ways. It was definitely a fun sleepover, and I feel so much more like it is the Christmas season. When I got home, I hung around the house for a bit and then grabbed Snarf's for lunch with the family. Then lounged around some more until I went out to Boulder and had dinner with friends. I tried a pomegranate margarita--it was really good, not too sour or sweet! And the food was good too, just huge portions. Needless to say I had leftovers. After dinner, I came home and watched Inkheart with my little brother until my mom kicked me out of her room. Then I snuggled with our dog and fell asleep.


Sunday- I slept in, played Wii Fit with my brother, watched a really boring episode of SNL, and then headed to Boulder to watch the CU Women's basketball game. We got free tickets. We being my family. And they actually won, and I saw an old man with a Syracuse hoodie on. It was nice. After the game, my mom and I went to Costco where we did some shopping and ended up buying a huge Christmas wreath for the front door. Then we watched The Amazing Race finale and went to bed.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

I do have one question for ya'll: Should we get a real tree or a fake tree this year? We've always had a real one but it's also alot of work to buy it and dispose of it and water it. What do you think?

Because I don't wanna think...

We all know how much I don't like thinking. So that's why you're getting bullets today. Deal with it.

• Since my last post about my lack of holiday spirit, M came up with the idea to have a girls sleepover filled with holiday cheer. It's happening tonight, and I actually have to say, I'm excited. 
• Because a ton of my FB friends were commenting on Jersey Shore, I watched it online today. And I laughed at all of them the entire time. Seriously, I can't believe these people actually exist. And no, I won't be watching it again. Unless I need a laugh.
• I've had two alums from my program find me either on Twitter or through e-mail. They all want advice on how I got my job and blah blah blah. I really have no idea what to tell them. I don't even like my job anymore. But I'll try my best to come up with something.
• I'm going to the mountains next weekend for a retreat and I'm excited!
• My dad is coming home from China forever in like less than two weeks.

What's new with you?

Weekend Recap: Thanksgiving Edition

Can I just say that having the office to myself after a long weekend and listening to Disney soundtracks (Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, Little Mermaid, etc) makes work alot more enjoyable? Cuz it does.

As for my weekend, it was nice. As predicted, we snuck the dog in and out of the condo. There were a few close calls when one of the maintenance workers wanted to install some carbon monoxide detectors and we had to hide the dog in the spare bedroom. And hide her in the car while we parked in the garage. And make sure she didn't bark. Yeah, it was kinda annoying but I think my mom finally learned her lesson that we shouldn't bring her up again. Especially when you have a 4 hour car ride with 5 people, a 50+ pound dog, and a back seat  completely filled with our stuff. The saving grace of the trip up and back was a dual screen dvd player. My lil brother was in heaven. And I have to admit, it was really useful. We watched Transformers on the way up and Family Guy on the way back.

I ate entirely way too much over the weekend--there was food everywhere. My mom and I argued over how to cook glazed carrots, but I got to thinking, that if every Thanksgiving was actually free of yelling and her trying to micromanage my every move in the kitchen, well, it'd be kinda boring. As for the feast, we had a moist turkey, stuffing with pecans and cranberries (a welcome upgrade from stove top), green bean casserole, glazed carrots, rolls, and mashed potatoes.

It was yummy, but I'm sad we have no leftovers because we left early on Saturday so we left all the extras behind. I might actually make some green bean casserole this week and buy some turkey so I can recreate the experience. But I am definitely going running or walking everyday this week. I felt so gross and fat this weekend, probably because I kept stuffing my face with food, but still. I need to run/walk some of that stuff off. Like today. I meant to wake up at 6am, that's when my alarm went off, but I decided it was too dark to go outside. So I reset it and slept in and didn't take the dog for a walk. So that means I'm walking around on my lunch hour today.

How was your Thanksgiving/long weekend?

Weekend Recap

This weekend wasn't eventful in the slightest. If anything I learned that I am a lightweight drinker, should not lay down and text at the same time, and I need a vacation.


Friday- Came home from work and flopped on my bed and took a nap. Then attempted to make plans with a friend when my phone died. Needless to say I ended up eating kettle corn while watching my brothers play Wii. But I did stay up till midnight, so that's a win in my book.

Saturday- Slept in, hung around the house for awhile, and watched my tv shows--Project Runway, Real Housewives of Orange County (which I'm seriously beginning to hate) and Top Chef. Hey, I never said I had good taste in tv shows, but it felt good to just not think for awhile.

In the afternoon, I decided to make my first pumpkin pie, using the #1 rated pie recipe on Allrecipes.com! Yeah, I haven't tried it yet, and my mom bought cinnamon pumpkin pie from the Honey Baked Ham store, so I guess I'm taking this to work tomorrow. I think it should be decent, I mean, I followed the recipe, so really, how hard can it be to screw it up?

Now all I need is some whipped cream...

After pie making I imbibed my current beer of choice: Avery's White Rascal. I only had one, and it put me to sleep. Literally. I was supposed to go out drinking but I never heard my phone, and ended up waking up at 11:30pm. After texting my friend an apology, I rolled over and went back to sleep.


Sunday- Woke up at a ridiculously early time--7:30, bright eyed and bushy tailed (so to speak). Went to the early mass, where I sat next to a woman who's daughter I went to grade school with, and saw another old lady who was at the banquet I went to last weekend. It was eerie. After church I came home and helped my mom make breakfast--eggs, potatoes, and toast. It was good. After breakfast I was completely bored so I actually folded my laundry and put it away. It's literally been sitting in my basket for oh, two weeks now. I took the dog for a walk. Then I went to Costco and got gas, and a few groceries. I bought my brother his Christmas present too--Sonic the Hedgehog for Wii. Personally I have always loved Sonic since Sega, but that's here nor there. The rest of the night I showered, read a contemporary romance novel about a lawyer and a famous Hollywood actor, and ate dinner. Exciting life I lead, I know.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Weekend Recap

Friday- I left work early due to it starting to snow. Then came home and enjoyed the house to myself for a bit, until my mom and brother and my dad came. I watched tv and read a book and then went to bed.

Saturday- I slept till 8am, then got up and read some more of my book. Then went to a volunteer appreciation event, where a national speaker was there on the gift of laughter. She made us stand up and say "heehehehehe" while moving our thumbs up and down. Trust me when I say, I felt like this had to be on a hidden camera show. Unfortunately, I was wrong. So me and my friend attempted to sneak out, only to come face to face with the director of the organization. Oops. She of course was like, why are you guys leaving?? And me, being awesome, escaped to the coat room before she could corner me. Unfortunately, the latter happened to my friend. After successfully escaping, we asked ourselves yet again why we go to these things. I told her it was because of the free food. *shrugs*

After the event, it started to snow again, so I came home to an empty house. My family had taken the dog to get groomed. I ended up laying in bed and reading for a few hours, until I finally was hungry, and made myself some dinner. Then I hung out with the family aka yelled at my mom and hung out with my dad, and went to bed.


Sunday- I slept till 8ish, got up, helped make breakfast with my mom. I was going to attend mass but it was still snowing, so I decided to tape mass on the ETWN network. I was watching said mass on the tv when I was rudely interrupted by my little brother who said he got the tv so we could watch the Broncos game. Thankfully I recorded the mass so I can watch it anytime this week. After being kicked off the tv, I played Indiana Jones on Wii and Star Wars. My point was just to go around and collect all the coins and treasures; I didn't actually want to beat the levels. After I got bored of that, I went to Babies 'R Us with M, where we shopped for the baby shower that was in like 3 hours.

I successfully bought diapers, wipes, a safari pacifier holder, some frog themed clothes and some frog washcloths. Then I ran home, wrapped everything, and put it in a pretty bag, and got my ass to the shower. I only got lost once, but thankfully my GPS knew just where to go. I was even on time. The shower was fun, filled with the typical games like measuring the mom's tummy, and remembering a bunch of baby items. I won a prize too, because I had one of the best lists of advice for the dad to be. You see, you had to take each letter of the name of the baby, JULIAN, and write something. Mine is as follows:

Just Breate
Understand your limits
Listen carefully
Investigate all baby sounds
Ask for help when needed
Never shake a baby*

*I say that in making fun of a local commercial I hear allll the freakin' time on the radio. But you still should never shake a baby, k?

After the shower, M and I caught up with a friend from h.s. that was there. She told us all about her three kids and the deadbeat dad, and her depressing life. It was pretty sad. But it sounds like she'll be okay. Finally it was like 9:30, so we all left. Sure it was fun seeing them open presents, but I have to tell you, most of the people there were either pregnant or had babies with them. It scared me out of my wits. I definitely can't imagine being pregnant at this age. Like, having a real human being inside you. Yikes. So, I came away thinking I should be good for awhile. As in, abstain from that stuff. Cuz the last thing I wanna be is a mama right now.

I slept pretty crappy last night, but thank god for some prescription ibprofen--now I'm back to normal.


How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

I really don't even have to divide up the days this past weekend, because I seriously didn't do too much. Friday night, while I was tempted to go to bed at 8pm, I made it till 10pm, thanks to my book, The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom.

On Saturday, I literally spent hours working on my car with my uncle. You see, I did something stupid. I figured that I needed my rear brakes replaced, because winter is coming and I hate driving in the snow. So, I spent the $17 to get rear brake shoes (see, i'm so smart about my car, I even know the right words for the parts!) and took them apart, to figure out that they really didn't need to be replaced, BUT me being me, said to my uncle, "Well, I just want to make sure everything is done, I don't wanna call you up in the middle of the snow and beg you to fix something," to which he replied, "Yeah, we already have these...I've never done it before, but we might as well." Um, famous last words kids.

We were there until 11:25pm in the freakin dark freezing our asses off trying to fix the brakes. It took three men, a 12 pack of Coors Light, an adjustable light, and a portable heater to fix the gosh darn things. Then, I took it for a spin, you know, after we "fixed" them...to find out that it's not fixed. How did I know that? Oh, you know that thing, that you use when you park your car on a hill...what's that called?....ohhh, a PARKING BRAKE. Well, that DIDN'T WORK. Nope, that's a BAD sign. So I risked my life and my brothers and drove slowly home on Saturday. Then I went to bed, but didn't sleep well due to the beer and my room was freaking freezing. Like, I wore a robe, my fuzzy socks, my pjs, a hoodie, a blanket, and a comforter, and finally put on some gloves, and then I could sleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night because I was too hot. Men: it really is true, women are never satisfied.

Sunday I woke up to breakfast, watched The Proposal, complained about how my car was messed up, drove over to my uncle's, watched my cousin while he worked on my car, and spent most of the day there. I am proud to say that I know how to fix my rear brakes now, and they do work. But, now whenever I drive, I feel like my tire is all wobbly. FML.

I'm totally going to Brakes Plus this week to get a professional to look at it. And I'm going to buy some new tires on the black market. Oh, and did I mention that after all of that lovely car stuff, I came home, got in a fight with my mom (see tomorrow's post) and then stormed out of the house and went to church so I wouldn't kill her. And then I came home to find out that my mom had volunteered me (without asking of course) to drive my brother back up to school, which is about an hour each way. At like 9 o'clock at night. LOVELY. When I finally got home at like 11, I was just about to fall asleep when I got a freakin' drunk dial from Special Agent. Luckily I only listened to him for 6 minutes and 5 seconds before I feigned sleep and hung up on him. The highlight of my night though was getting to snuggle with my doggie:

Whew, I feel better already, thanks for listening to me vent. How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

Friday- I worked from home again, just because I could. Then, in the evening, my mom and I got into a fight. She basically said that I'm a bad influence on my 9-year-old brother because I say no to her, and I don't pick up things like she wants them, and I don't help my brother study. I told her she's the parent, not me, it's not my job to tutor him. I'm his sister. We argued for awhile until she said that "this just isn't working, you need to move out. You need a life." Um, I have one thanks. I asked her to wait until January, because that's when I can stop paying for my P.O.D. and look for a place to move. Of course she said no, and I basically left.

I went to my friend's house where we watched Hocus Pocus with M, and then we got addicted to watching this Ghost Hunters Live show on the Travel Channel where they were in some mental institute in West Virginia. It was lame and they never did find one, but we still watched it till 1am. I spent the night, and didn't even dream of ghosts.

Saturday- I slept till 10am, then ate lunch and watched My Life in Ruins with my friend. We played with her dog, and watched Casper the Friendly Ghost, and played trivia on demand. We finally went outside at like 5pm, took the dog for a short walk, and then I headed out. I went home, made up a costume (I was a little girl going to sleep--I wore my hair in pigtails, wore starry pjs, slippers, and held a stuffed teddy bear with me), and then headed downtown for a party, where I met up with many new and familiar faces. It was good times. After that I headed to another party closer to home, where I played darts and watched people play Rockband 2. I stayed out late, but it was a good night, considering last Monday I had no plans for Halloween whatsoever.

Sunday- I slept in, watched tv, ate cold pizza on the couch, played with the dog, watched some more tv, avoided my mother, attempted to go to church but failed, and then went to bed. Yeah, I pretty much did nothing yesterday but isn't that what Sundays are for?

Today I'm the only one in the office, it's mildly unsettling, but I've managed to take up most of the day doing mundane tasks.


How was your weekend? Did you dress up for Halloween?

Weekend Recap

Friday- Had an awesome night out with M. We went downtown and ate at Tony's Meat Market. I had their salad, which has strawberries, feta cheese, romaine lettuce, roasted chicken, and some candied walnuts. So so good. M had margarita pizza which she liked; we shared a pitcher of beer, listened to live music, and caught up on life. After dinner, we walked back to her place, and decided to rent a movie, so she drove us to Safeway where we loaded up on snacks. We rented the Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past. It was okay. I'm glad I saw it so I can now say I've seen it, but I definitely wouldn't watch it again and I'm glad I rented it.

Saturday- I slept in. I had like the best night's sleep ever. I finally woke up around 11:30, then hung around the house. In the afternoon, I headed over to my uncle's party, where I ate a bunch of good food and had cake! And of course saw my lil cousin and family. It was good times. When I got home I didn't feel like doing much, so I paid some bills online and cleaned my room. Oh, and my mom made me watch an episode of Oprah where they talk about hoarders because she thinks I am one. I think not. Clearly.


Today- I slept in till 9:30, got up, watched Real Housewives of Atlanta, Project Runway, and one episode of Brothers and Sisters. I took my brother to his basketball game, and then sat back on the couch again. I haven't changed out of my pajamas today either. I'm just tired and lazy. I don't want to do a darn thing except sit on the couch and watch tv or sleep or lay in bed and read. Yeah...not really a productive day, but oh well. I know tomorrow is going to blow work-wise because I have like a weeks worth of work to do in oh, 8 hours.


How was your weekend?

Home Sweet Home

This weekend I went to the East Coast. I had an early flight on Saturday, and because of the crappy weather we had here--snow and ice--my flight was an hour late leaving because we had to de-ice the plane. I was supposed to catch a connecting flight from Philly to Burlington, but my flight seriously landed at the same time my connecting flight was supposed to leave. Ironically, I was very calm. I've never missed a flight before, but really, there was nothing I could do about it. And I kept thinking about how I was safe, and how it was important to de-ice the plane. When I got off the plane, the gate agent handed me my new ticket, but that flight didn't leave Philly till 8:35pm, and we had landed at 1:35. So...I did the next best thing. I went to the customer service counter and asked if they had an earlier flight. Unfortunately, they didn't have any earlier non-stop flights, but if I was willing, they could put me on a flight from Philly to D.C., and then to Burlington, arriving at 7. I figured, what do I have to lose? And took it.

When I got to the airport, I was so nervous to see Special Agent and his bff. But I forged on, and finally found them. He put my luggage away for me and his bff let me have the front seat. Classy. Then we went to dinner at an Italian place called Three Tomatoes, where we had awesome wine, conversation, and food. I was still nervous but it was okay, nothing was awkward. And it seemed like Special Agent and his bff had put in some effort for the night. They even planned to have a bonfire outside his house with the neighbors. After dinner, we started drinking beer and watched tv. His neighbors tried to start a bonfire, but that failed. I'm not sure why--I was just content drinking Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer and sitting on the couch. Anyways, we headed next door and I met his neighbors and other people. We sat around playing drinking games and watching tv. His neighbors also had the cutest dogs ever. I don't remember what types, but they were all so friendly and loved to sit and cuddle with you. I had a great time, and I remembered why I was able to drink 3-4 beers while I was in college--there's no altitude there--which actually made me feel young again. Plus, the next day when I woke up, I wasn't even hungover! No headaches, just the dry mouth.

I woke up early, and Special Agent drove me to get my rental car. I ended up upgrading to a Subaru. It was decent. I did miss a few turns on my way to New Hampshire, so it took me about 3 hours to get there instead of the 2.5 hours that google quoted me. But I have to say, the scenery was so gorgeous. So picturesque. I even stopped a few times to whip out my camera and take pictures.

I would say the biggest difference between fall in Colorado and fall in Vermont/New Hampshire is the colors of the trees. Our trees are mostly green and yellow. The trees out there are red, orange, even purple, and yellow and green. It was just so so beautiful. And I was so happy to see my bff and her fiancee. They are seriously so adorable, and unlike some couples that I just can't stand to be around, I never ever felt like the third wheel with them. In fact, seeing them, makes me ten times more excited for their wedding next year.

On Sunday, I drove along with my bff and her fiancee, to Mt. Washington. Two other cars of people joined us. We were gonna drive the 8 miles up to the top, but they had closed half of it due to snow and ice. So we didn't end up doing that. We drove to Wildcat Mountain to zip line, but they didn't have any reservations open until 3:30, and we didn't wanna wait. So we drove around so more, and ended up at Diana's Bath, where we hiked about half a mile and took pictures of the waterfall and the trees. It was really great to be outside and stretch my legs, and time just seemed to pass so slowly there. It was quiet and peaceful, and just beautiful. That night we ate lemon chicken and bowtie pasta, and even stopped at a Dairy Queen along the way, where we snacked on french fries. My bff had never been there before, so of course we had to go.

I woke up early on Monday morning, said goodbye to the people who were up, and made it to Vermont in 2 hours. It's amazing how much time I saved on the way back by following the directions. When I got back, I thought maybe I would have time to go apple picking and do breakfast but I honestly was so tired, that I just let it go. I know this entire weekend I was looking forward to picking apples, but it just felt forced. Instead I snuggled with Special Agent, filled him in on my New Hampshire adventures, and said goodbye to his bff, who left us alone. Special Agent and I drove to downtown Burlington, past the University of Vermont (which has a gorgeous campus, btw) and ate at Henry's Diner where the food was cheap but so so good. I had homefries! I know, it's the little things that excite me in life. After breakfast, I returned my car, and Special Agent took me to the airport. I made it back home safe and sound, but I still miss the East Coast. *sigh* Guess I'll just have to go back again next fall.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Weekend Recap

Oh let's see, what did I do this weekend.....


Friday- I was stuck in the office all by myself. My boss and coworkers were all gone, so I left at 4:30, came home, talked to Yogi for a bit, who tried to convince me to drive up and see him in Keystone, but I declined. I was planning on doing nothing but hanging out on the couch when he said that I had to get out of the house. Good point. I ended up doing just that. I went to dinner with my mom at Outback where I finally told her I was going to Vermont next weekend, and could she give me a ride? Yeah, I didn't give her any of the juicy details. Later that night I went out barhopping downtown with M and another friend. It was a success.

Saturday- I slept in. Oh my how I've missed uninterrupted sleep. I don't think I did anything important. I did go to church with my mom, and then hung out with my brother who came home from college for the weekend. We ended up seeing The Ugly Truth at the cheap movie theater--when I say cheap, I mean cheap. Tickets were only $3.50. FTW! It was a good movie too, I laughed alot. I still need to see the Proposal and the Hangover. After the movie, we came home and caught up on things, and then I logged onto Facebook to check my crops on Farmville, because I'm so cool like that. Turns out the Asshole was online, and he basically called me out asking why I keep blowing him off. I told him how I just can't make anymore effort anymore and he called me passive aggressive. Yeah, it was a nice conversation. Not. He never apologized but instead said he misses me and wants to talk things out. I really don't know how I feel about it. I'm just too nice. I did agree to meet with him tonight to talk things out aka I want to yell at him and make him feel like a jerk. So at least that will be cathartic for me, considering i never did yell at him before when he ditched me.


Sunday- I slept in again, took our dog to the blessing of the pets at church, and then headed over to M's place. Her mom joined us and we made homemade pizza from scratch! It was definitely a success. I will post the recipe and accompanying pictures later this week. After her mom left M and I ate our creations and caught up. It was a great day. Then I headed to dinner where I met some alumni. It was okay, and I obviously wasn't hungry, but I did go. Dinner lasted two hours too. oy. But all in all, it was a good weekend.



How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

So, I wish it was still the weekend. I could use a massage, and more water, and definitely more sleep.

Friday- Went out to the Great American Beer Festival. I was frustrated because traffic was terrible so it took me 2 hours to get down there. So of course when I finally met up with my friends, we made our pretzel necklaces, and got down to business.

Yay for pretzel necklaces!

The night was awesome. It included me being an enabler (drinking-wise), tricking our friend into getting his mustache shaved, and of course dancing in the silent disco to Michael Jackson. Oh, and singing my favorite song from college happy hour--Sweet Caroline. Afterward, I had M pick me up and we went out for another drink at a bar. Turned out to be happy hour, so I got 2 for 1 drinks. I couldn't drink anymore though. But at least I didn't waste too much money.

Saturday- Slept on and off at M's place. Had a terrible headache, and basically tried not to throw up. I have to remember that my body can't handle tons of alcohol like my mind thinks so. Finally made it back to my car, did not throw up on the bus (FTW!), showered, changed, and did the best thing ever: bought myself a happy meal, complete with a Barbie jewelry box. Yeah, it's how I roll. Volunteered at the beer fest, wrist banding thousands of ppl (no joke, they said 12,000 people came through the entrance I was working), and saw more friends at the festival, which helped the night go by fast.

Sunday- Got woken up by the dog, the little brother, and my mom at 8:30am. Not a fan. But she did buy me McDonald's for breakfast, so I suppose that was the perk of waking up to loud noises. After breakfast, I caught up on tv. Project Runway, Drop Dead Diva, Entourage, Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Top Chef. It was nice to get some quiet time.

So I lost my car keys on Thursday night, and I looked everywhere for them. Luckily, I used my Dad's spare set which happened to have my car key on it. Thank god. I of course prayed to God and St. Anthony to find such keys, but that didn't work when I lost my bus pass and Costco card. So I'm talking on the phone with a boy on Sunday in my room, when I lift up a receipt that was in my headboard, and what's underneath it? MY CAR KEYS. I kid you not. I seriously couldn't believe it. So of course to give thanks, I went to church last night with my lil brother. It was good times. Then I watched the Amazing Race and went to sleep.


How was your weekend?